DENVER -- The effects of Parkinson's disease and stroke can be debilitating. The conditions can make it difficult for patients to walk or control their bodies, therefore affecting nearly all of their daily activities. Dressing, housekeeping, shopping and just getting around can go from the routine to impossible.

About 700,000 strokes will occur each year in the United States, of which about 500,000 are first attacks and about 200,000 are repeat attacks. Parkinson's disease affects about one million people in the United States. Most begin to develop their symptoms in their late 50s or early 60s, though it can strike earlier in some younger patients.

Insulin resistance and glucose intolerance are highly prevalent following a stroke, contributing to these patients' worsening cardiovascular disease after the attack and the predisposition for a repeat stroke.

By having patients exercise regularly on a treadmill, researchers from the University of Maryland found patients were able to reduce insulin resistance, therefore reducing their risk of a repeat stroke. Treadmill training tests were also performed on stroke patients to see if the "consistent, repetitive motion of walking could help the brain to 'rewire' itself, developing new connections to compensate for the damaged ones."

What they found was regular exercise on a treadmill did improve patients' ability to walk even years after their stroke.

"Now we're interested to see if this same concept will work for other neurological conditions such as Parkinson's disease," said Richard Macko, M.D., professor of neurology at the University of Maryland School of Medicine.

In the current trials, involving about 70 Parkinson's and stroke patients, participants will train on treadmills with increasing duration, incline and speed over time. One group of participants will use weights and do stretching exercises to improve muscle strength and range of motion. They will all train three times a week for the three months of the study.

"Parkinson's patients often ask their doctors if they should exercise and, if so, what kind of exercise they should do," says Lisa Shulman, M.D., principal investigator and associate professor of neurology at the University of Maryland School of medicine. "We are excited about this study because, at the end of our research, we hope finally to have some definitive answer for our patients."

Researchers also hope to discover any emotional benefits that could come from the exercise. Many Parkinson's patients suffer emotional side effects including depression, apathy and fatigue. Doctors have had difficulty getting these symptoms to respond to traditional medications in Parkinson's patients.

Additional Resource:

Sharon Boston
University of Maryland Media Relations
sboston@umm.edu
(410) 328-8919